In 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln founded the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, he called it the "people's Department." In
Lincoln's day, 90 percent of the people were farmers who were in need of
good seed and information to grow their crops. Today, USDA continues
Lincoln's legacy by serving all Americans, the two percent who farm as
well as everyone who eats, wears clothes, lives in a house, or visits a
rural area or a national forest.

USDA remains committed to assisting America's farmers and ranchers. But
we also do much more--

USDA leads the Federal anti-hunger effort with the Food Stamp, School
Lunch, School Breakfast, and the WIC Programs. USDA is the steward of
our nation's 192 million acres of national forests and rangelands.

USDA is the country's largest conservation agency, encouraging voluntary
efforts to protect soil, water, and wildlife on the 70 percent of
America's lands that are in private hands.

USDA brings housing, modern telecommunications, and safe drinking water
to rural America.

USDA is responsible for the safety of meat, poultry, and egg products.

USDA is a research leader in everything from human nutrition to new crop
technologies that allow us to grow more food and fiber using less water
and pesticides.

USDA helps ensure open markets for U.S. agricultural products and
provides food aid to needy people overseas.

"Should USDA officially confirm the
presence of a disease, such as FMD [Foot and Mouth Disease], the
affected herd and all cattle, sheep, goats, swine, and
susceptible wildlife -- infected or not -- within a minimum
10-kilometer zone around the infected farm would be killed.
USDA would wait for confirmation before slaughtering animals to avoid
causing unnecessary panic among producers and severe market
fluctuations. If the disease were to spread beyond the initial zone, authorities
would continue to quarantine and kill animals until the disease was
'stamped out.'" - "Homeland Security Much Is Being
Done to Protect Agriculture from a Terrorist Attack, but Important
Challenges Remain," a report to Congress by "Homeland
Security" http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05214.pdf
(page 31 of pages) More on "NAIS:" http://www.propertyrightsresearch.org/2006/articles07/national_animal_id.htm

"Food is Power! We use it to control
behavior. Some may call it bribery. We do not apologize." -
Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food
Program, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, speaking at the
UN World Food Summit, Nov 1996.